Industrialists Task FG On Waste Silos

Some industrialists have urged the Federal Government to build world class ‘waste silos’ and scrap collection points to accelerate the conversion of the country’s waste to wealth.
The industrialists, who spoke in separate interviews with the Tide source yesterday in Abuja, said the construction of the facility would lead to the emergence of a one-stop-shop waste management system.
According to them, the facility will provide opportunities for manufacturers to add economic value to waste.
The Chief Executive Officer, Golden Rubber Plant Nigeria Ltd., Chief Chris Okafor said the Federal Government could harness the enormous waste generated by providing a central control system.
Okafor explained that the one-stop-shop platform would serve as a rendezvous to dump and waste collection.
He said “waste recycling is an important element in manufacturing industries, but that has not been promoted in the country very well.
“For instance, you may have known that table tennis board is made from waste papers and wood dust, but these by-products are often burnt here.
“The waste to wealth campaign can only be realised if deliberate steps are taken to develop that sector of the economy.”
The Managing Director, Fils Automotive Nigeria Ltd. Alhaji Musa Katangu said the improper disposal of industrial waste hinged on the incapacity of most industries to manage the waste they generate.
“It will be nice if the Federal Government can create a hub where manufacturing companies and even the public will dump all wastes.
“All materials we refer to as waste are actually by-products that can produce other valuable products when subjected to further processing.”
Similarly, Mr Norman Kelman, a German Entrepreneur based in Nigeria, said the country would enhance its economic capacity if attention was given to waste conversion and treatment.
According to him, the building of waste plants and collection centres across the country is the anti-dote to the disconnection in the manufacturing value chain.
“The larger society is forced to bear the brunt of this neglect as industrial waste is carelessly dumped and regularly burnt in the neighbourhood,” Kelman said.